Cherish the Reopened Hospitality Industry and Try to Keep This in Mind
If you’re even slightly interested in the hospitality industry (or the news), you probably haven’t missed it: although there is mainly a sense of joy and relief that everything is open again, there are still plenty of problems to deal with. And because we as consumers (and we as passionate hospitality lovers in particular) want everything to get back on track as soon as possible so hospitality entrepreneurs can focus on processing what happened and recovering, there are a few things worth remembering…
While entrepreneurs are doing everything they can to get things back on track, we as guests can (and should) also take certain things into account, so that it remains workable for everyone (and hopefully fun again too). That’s why it’s good to keep the following in mind:
That staff shortage is no joke
And by that we mean: it’s a massive problem. So many people lost their jobs during the lockdowns, and all those employees aren’t simply coming back. As we wrote earlier in this article about staff shortages and generous recruitment promises; hospitality entrepreneurs are at their wits’ end. So if that means your favorite café suddenly has to remain closed for a day: know that they would much rather have opened to earn some money and give you a great evening, but that it probably really couldn’t be helped.
Certain products may be out of stock
There are plenty of concrete examples: earlier this year, for instance, major breweries were concerned about whether they would still be able to supply pubs with beer for long after the reopening rush. On a smaller scale, it may be that the producer of your favorite cheese on the cheese board didn’t make it through the crisis. Or that certain ingredients or products can no longer be delivered to kitchens and bars due to distribution problems. That’s why alternatives may be offered, and after the initial disappointment, they might open your eyes to something completely new that is also wonderfully delicious.
It’s also possible that entrepreneurs have had to raise their prices slightly in an attempt to somewhat compensate for the losses they suffered.
The staff who are there are happy to see you
Even though they are working much longer and many more shifts than usual (because of the lack of colleagues), and it’s utterly exhausting on top of the stress they have probably experienced throughout the past year anyway—the people who are now working in cafés and restaurants are probably doing so because, just like you and me, they love good food, drinks and conviviality.
On top of that, many staff members have the thankless task of explaining and enforcing all the rules that are still in place to guests who are probably quite fed up with them, but they have to. Really, otherwise everything might be shut down again soon, and then everyone will suffer. Above all, these are people who chose to give you a great evening, and most of them genuinely enjoy finally seeing guests having fun and enjoying themselves together again.
One big happy family: let’s cherish the hospitality industry together and try to get everything completely back on track!
Also read:
- Roll up your sleeves: this is how much beer we need to drink to save the hospitality industry
- The most irritating pranks people pull on hospitality staff
- Think about it: why is it so difficult to find hospitality staff?
